Question on ban announcements

[Uppercut]

I want to share some thoughts as a poster and not in my capacity as a moderator.

This is not the first time or tenth time a racist comment like that was made about people from the sub-continent for laughs. Maybe I am hyper sensitive but CW has been a safe space for me for over a decade and a lot of times, when I unexpectedly come across a post like that, regardless of how many times it has happened before or who is posting it, it makes me a combination of angry and sad for several hours after. I wonder if the person posting that who has interacted so well with me personally over the years has always really looked at me deep down like this as well.

I then feel like it is nor worth going through such emotions over just an internet forum and I shouldn't post anymore. It makes me feel like I don't belong at all. There are times when I feel like this but keep posting the same day, out of pure spite, just so the racist comment hasn't chased me away. Sometimes I just take a long break. This is all emotional exhaustion over a ****ing internet forum. I say this as someone who has been posting here for over a decade and consider several posters here 'friends' so I can't imagine what someone more new and naive goes through.

If the goal of posts like that is to wind people from the SC up, they are a resounding success beause it winds me the **** up. However, I genuinely don't understand how anyone would want to subject their worst enemy to the above experience, let alone do it so gleefully. Again, I don't think the posters who make posts like that are inherently racist or bad people per se, I've had many great personal conversations with them. I just hope they realize that there are emotional consequences to comments like that over time and they put some names and faces to people who are subject to the comments the next time they are tempted to be edgy.

Great post. As someone who has been racially abused in person many times, seeing blokes who I think are good eggs say those type of things does trigger certain emotions from those past experiences. Maybe for you guys it's something to laugh over off fora but for a lot of people it feels like being abused.

Man, I had genuinely *no idea* you guys felt this way about that ****. Like you wouldn't believe how oblivious I was. This is genuinely eye-opening.

 

[smash84]

I was one of the first people to report sledger (probably), I can't believe people at arguing over the length of the ban.

FWIW, I personally didn't think the ban would be 3 months and that is not because the post didn't deserve it. It's because Sledger (and some other posters) have gotten away with shitposting for a long time and made trolling/baiting an art form. It completely destroys the forum atmosphere just because some people want a few laughs out of their mates.

The fact that this post was dire even by Sledger's usual posting is what got me (and probably some other posters riled). There are so many ways to take that post the wrong way, which I probably did.

There's been a long history of calling lands and people savage and uncivilized. I don't think I need to even start raking up how wrongly that post could be taken and at so many different levels.

It was a shitpost deserved the ban. It's probably not long enough given the poster's history, but it might just be a step in getting the forum back on track. Enough of shitposting about SC. It's 2021 people, this is not 2001.

@GIMH, come on man, arguing about the length of the ban if you agree that it was a nasty post completely missed the point.

 

[Flem274*]

I know this is just a referential joke but I'd like to make it clear that he didn't call any people savages. Now that the post is gone it's important that people don't think it says something it didn't. He did use the word savage but not in the context of savages - he called the location savage because (certainly according to him) it was associated with high risk of danger or death.

I think his intent was clearly to dangle out some rancid bait, and he phrased it in an unfortunate manner. Once he realised how it was interpreted he retracted it. The mod team takes that sort of thing pretty seriously so he copped a lengthy ban despite that, but I don't think it'd be fair to allow this narrative of "sledger is a racist" to stand. It'd be particularly unfair if someone from his personal or professional life found this thread and didn't understand the context in which people were saying these things or what the post said.

So when will noumenoumenoun be copping 3 months for referring to a certain country as a 'hotbed of white supremacy'?

Sledger probs deserved the ban (i havent seen the post but by all accounts hes oyt of line) but yet again its one rule for long term members and no rule for blow ins here to just post trash

 

[GIMH]

Hey, I don't generally like seeing anyone banned these days for long periods of time (despite justifiably calling for a perma for trundler earlier). I'm not sure who wins when someone gets the axe for that period of time. Others disagree, but hey I am allowed an opinion.

 

[smash84]

Hey, I don't generally like seeing anyone banned these days for long periods of time (despite justifiably calling for a perma for trundler earlier). I'm not sure who wins when someone gets the axe for that period of time. Others disagree, but hey I am allowed an opinion.

Sure, and it probably feels harsh because Sledger had been getting away with some pretty nasty **** over the years.

 

[Athlai]

Agree with the moderating decision and think pointing fingers at other blokes is reductive.

Sledger cares about this community and the members in it. I'm sure he will take this seriously and will already be remorseful. Will see him in a few months.

Thank you to the members here that have opened up about their own experiences. We have certainly been too complacent in recent times in making CW a place where everyone feels safe.

Except Cribb of course. Robots have no rights.

 

[Shady Slim]

So when will noumenoumenoun be copping 3 months for referring to a certain country as a 'hotbed of white supremacy'?

Sledger probs deserved the ban (i havent seen the post but by all accounts hes oyt of line) but yet again its one rule for long term members and no rule for blow ins here to just post trash

again i noted how dire his posting was in that thread too but if it was aus, the uk or the usa hes not wrong tbh

 

[Flem274*]

Man, I had genuinely *no idea* you guys felt this way about that ****. Like you wouldn't believe how oblivious I was. This is genuinely eye-opening.

Yeah agreed. I had wondered before what made some postings different from 'the outside' but people appeared to roll along with it so i didnt give it much more thought

again i noted how dire his posting was in that thread too but if it was aus, the uk or the usa hes not wrong tbh

It was not

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

I wake up to find over 4 pages with new posts here.

Life is not fair at times.

I agree that Sledger's post was in bad taste. It went beyond what is common decency. And he knows that he's wrong for that.

I stand with my Pakistani brothers in dismissing the nature of the post. Sledger did, but belatedly.
And he knew he **** up.
We should be able to act more diplomatically regarding posts like these.

If a ban was warranted, we saw that it was. The gravity of the post was huge. It was made after news ECB's pullout was made official. The folks in Pakistan with more bad news for cricket in their country. Sometimes we let emotions get the better of us.

Please cool down guys.
Peace and love.

 

[anil1405]

Hey, I don't generally like seeing anyone banned these days for long periods of time (despite justifiably calling for a perma for trundler earlier). I'm not sure who wins when someone gets the axe for that period of time. Others disagree, but hey I am allowed an opinion.

Humanity (unironically). A reminder that one doesn't have to diss certain (section of) people to satisfy their ego or feel good about themselves.

Unfortunately it comes naturally to humans to look down on other people to feel good about themselves coz that's the easy way out.

I am speaking in general sense and have nothing against sledger. He has been nice to me in the very few interactions we've had.

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

So when will noumenoumenoun be copping 3 months for referring to a certain country as a 'hotbed of white supremacy'?

I dunno man, I feel like that statement was so absurd that all you can do is laugh it off.

 

[srbhkshk]

Completely personal opinion, People from England* using the terms Uncivilized or Savages for people/places from SC has massive historical context and should be used sparingly in any capacity.

[*Not that it's any better from non-english people. But it's not the same baggage.]

 

[Manee]

Completely personal opinion, People from England* using the terms Uncivilized or Savages for people/places from SC has massive historical context and should be used sparingly in any capacity.

[*Not that it's any better from non-english people. But it's not the same baggage.]

Agree with this. Hopefully can be welcomed back kindly after the ban as I know I've probably written plenty on the internet / this forum that is indefensible. We're all on a learning journey here. But the long-term members are the heart of the forum.

 

[harsh.ag]

sledger's a good guy, by all accounts esp irl, whose online persona sometimes goes overboard in certain ways and can be hurtful. Hope he comes back without recriminations.

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

sledger's a good guy, by all accounts esp irl, whose online persona sometimes goes overboard in certain ways and can be hurtful. Hope he comes back without recriminations.

How can we define it though?

Edgy barbs?
Saying the wrong things at the wrong time?

 

[duffer]

sledger's a good guy, by all accounts esp irl, whose online persona sometimes goes overboard in certain ways and can be hurtful. Hope he comes back without recriminations.

I met him. He's an absolute gent, shame I had other things to do and couldn't down a few beers with him. The forum is poorer without him, hope the three months fly by.

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

I met him. He's an absolute gent, shame I had other things to do and couldn't down a few beers with him. The forum is poorer without him, hope the three months fly by.

Right in time for Christmas

 

[Manee]

Completely personal opinion, People from England* using the terms Uncivilized or Savages for people/places from SC has massive historical context and should be used sparingly in any capacity.

[*Not that it's any better from non-english people. But it's not the same baggage.]

Likely unpopular take but I think it works the other way too. I think as someone who was born and grew up in the UK, I think I have some inbuilt prejudices in me too. It doesn't diminish the wrongness of verbalising or writing out the impact of such prejudice but I think an understanding of historical context on attitudes needs to be holistic to be complete.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

I have no idea what he wrote, but in three months time he’ll be too busy changing nappies.

 

[Daemon]

Have just heard from the mods that he was awarded a month for the post and 2 months for calling me a worm. Fair enough tbh.